The conference Public Sector Economics 2017 - Public Investment: Catalyst for Sustainable Growth, which was held in Zagreb on 3 November 2017, provided an interesting insight into the ability of governments around the world to identify and implement large-scale investment projects, as well as into the long-term returns on public capital and the impact of higher public investment on debt sustainability.

In total, 15 theoretical, empirical and policy papers were presented by researchers and policy experts from across the world. These covered a broad range of topics closely related to the public investment, such as productivity growth, corporate growth, infrastructure and investment financing, public debt, fiscal shocks, procurement strategies, public sector governance, public budget transparency and citizen participation.

Keynote lectures were given by prominent economists Balázs Égert (OECD) and Evžen Kočenda (Charles University, Institute of Economic Studies), as well as by Mr Matthias Kollatz-Ahnen (Senator for Finance - Bundesrat, Berlin).

The conference was organised by the Institute of Public Finance and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, with the support of the European Commission Representation in the Republic of Croatia, Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, HEP Group, Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. and Zagrebačka banka.

The 2017 conference issue of the journal Public Sector Economics is available here.